Dishwashing machine rack level adjustment system

ABSTRACT

A rack is supported within the wash chamber of a dishwashing machine by a connecting means permitting selective manual adjustment of the vertical level of the rack side. The connecting means includes a slidable surface portion inclined to serve as a ramp and bear on a support member whereby movement of the ramp against the support member causes vertical movement of the rack side. Manual control means on the rack is linked to the connecting means such that manipulation of the control means is translated to the slidable surface portion whereby the vertical positioning of the rack side is selectively adjusted.

United States Patent 1191 Clark DISHWASHING MACHINE RACK LEVELADJUSTMENT SYSTEM [75] Inventor: David L. Clark, Louisville, Ky. [73]Assignee: General Electric Company,

Louisville, Ky. [22] Filed: Dec. 27, 1971 [21 Appl. No.2 212,343

52 us. (:1. .Q 312/351, 312/311 [51] Int. Cl. A471) 88/00, A47b 95/00[58] Field of Search 312/311, 330, 351; 297/338, 345; 211/176; 108/141,144, 145

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,306,266 12/1942 Heim108/147 2,532,342 12/1950 Sloane 108/147 2,998,290 8/1961 Sharpe 312/3033,185,116 5/1965 Gilbert, 103/147 3,316,044 4/1967 Carbary 312/306 X3,352,431 11/1967 Smith 312/351 3,472,573 10/1969 Geiger 312/357 1113,822,085 1451 July 2,1974

Primary Examiner-Paul H. Gilliam Attorney, Agent, or Firm- Francis H.Boos 57 ABSTRACT A rack is supported within the wash chamber of adishwashing machine by a connecting means permitting selective manualadjustment of the verticallevel of the rack side. The connecting meansincludes a slidable surface portion inclined to serve as a ramp and bearon a support member whereby movement of the ramp against the supportmember causes vertical movement of the rack side. Manual control meanson the rack is linked to the connecting meanssuch that manipulation ofthe control means is translated to the slidable surface portion wherebythe vertical positioning of the rack side is selectively adjusted.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures DISHWASHING MACHINE RACK LEVEL ADJUSTMENTSYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to anappliance enclosure having storage rack adjustment means therewith andspecifically pertains to a dishwasher of the front loading type whereinmeans is provided for independently adjusting the vertical position ofone side of, a dishsupporting rack within the machines wash chamber.

A standardized height for a dishwashing machine has been establishedwithin the industry which imposes a limit to the maximum verticaldimension of the ma chines wash chamber. This limitation makes itdesirable to be able to vary the vertical positioning of one or theother or both sides of a dish-supporting rack within the wash chamber ofa dishwashing machine whereby items of various sizes can be more easilyaccommodated therein for washing. Customarily, a dishwashing machine isprovided with a pair of vertically spaced apart dish-supporting racks.It has been found particularly beneficial to be able to change the levelof each rack side of the upper rack whereby such items as wide cookiesheetsor pizza pans can be placed, on edge, in the lower rack withoutbinding with the upper rack. Independent vertical adjustment of theupper rack sides enables the rack to be slanted whereby one side thereofcan also be disposed relatively lower in order to accommodate tallglasses and similar items to be stored along the lowered rack sidewithout having the items contact the top of the wash chamber. A

Various constructions have been taught by the prior art that provide forrack level adjustment in a dish; washer. The need for independent rackside adjustment has also'been recognized as particularly beneficial in adishwasher of the front loading type. One suchassembly is disclosed intheapplication of-L. W. Guth, U.S.. Pat. Ser. No. 154,141; filed June17, l9 7l, and as-s" signed to the assignee of the present invention TheGuth assembly includes a pair of bell crank levers.

linked in a parallelogram arrangement at the side of the dishwasher rackas part of a means for mounting the rack side to the wash chamber wall.A manually operable rotary control means is provided adjacent thefrontcorner of the rack and is linked to the lever arrangement to enableselective respositioning of the bell crank levers whereby the rack sideis correspondingly caused to move upwardly or downwardly as desired. Thebell crank lever arrangement is provided in combibination with bellcrank levers whereby manual selec tive repositioning of the controllever is translated to the bell crank levers to obtain upward ordownward movement of the rack side. Assemblies such as disclosed in Guthand Geiger have obvious advantages over structures of earlier art thatrequire complete rack removal and re-installation in order to obtain adifferent level for the rack.

Such rack adjusting systems as heretofore described utilize rotating orpivotal parts between the rack side and the wash chamber wall. Thepresent invention comprehends the provision of a simplified structurefor obtaining independent rack side level adjustment without theinclusion of a multiplicity of pivot points in the components thatsupportthe rack side and accomplish the adjustment function. The presentinvention provides an assembly enabling selective manual repositioningof the level of a rack side in a dishwashing machine that involvescomparatively fewer separate parts whereby fewer problems and steps inthe installation of the assembly are required. The invention isaccomplished through the use of an entirely different mechanicalprinciple as compared to that employed by the prior art examplesheretofore discussed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION having an enclosure defining'a wash chambertherein and a dish-supporting rack disposed in the chamber.

The dish-supporting rack is'constructed with a front end, a back end,and oppositely disposed sides, and has means along atleast one sidethereof connecting the side to the wall of the chamber. This connectingmeans includes a support member and a movable means. The support memberhas means mounting it to the chamber 1 wall whereby the support memberis prevented from f moving vertically relative to the chamber wall evennation with rollers and slides whereby the rack can be slidably moved toan extended position through the front access opening of the washchamber to permit loading and unloading of the rack. The rotary controlmeans of the Guth assembly is quite convenient to the though it ispreferably adaptedto be freely slidable in a horizontal direction. Theaforementioned movable means is slidably retained to the rack side anddisposed between the rack sideand the chamber wall. The movable means,preferably an elongated plate member or camming element, is adapted tobe slidably moved betweenpredetermined frontwardly and backwardlypositions along the rack side. The movable means has a surface portionthereof adapted to slidably bear against the support member. The surfaceportion serves as an inclined runner whereby its camming movementagainst the support member causes the' rack side to machine operatorinasmuch as it is accessible to permit operation whether the rack is intheretracted or outwardly extending position relative to the washcharnber. Further, the independent means for rack side ad justment incombination with its own rotary control means enables rapid andindependent rack side adjustment whether the rack is loaded or empty.

Still another example of means for adjusting the vertical positioning ofa dish-supporting rack withinthe wash chamber of a dishwashing machineby use of a pair of spaced apart bell crank levers at the side of themove in a generally vertical direction.

In its preferred embodiment, theconnecting means of the inventioncomprises a pair of the support members disposed in a spaced apartarrangement along the rack side, and the movable means has two spacedapart surface portions identically inclined whereby each of thesurfaceportions is adapted 'to bear against a corresponding one of thesupport members. The combination of the inventionalso includes a manualmeans of rack is disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,472,573 issued to Vfrontward and backward positions.

controlling the disposition of the movable means l whereby the movablemeans can be selectively positioned'at intermediate points betweenpredetermined BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial sideelevational view of a front loading dishwashing machine having a portionof the enclosure side wall thereof cut away to show dishsupporting rackswithin the wash chamber and connecting structure in combination with theupper rack in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the upper end of adishwashing machine as shown in FIG. 1, here showing the upper rackextending outwardly from the wash chamber through the wash chambersaccess opening;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of certain components of thestructure shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a front corner of the upper dish rack shownin FIG. 11', and

FIG. 5 is a partial front elevational view of an open dishwasherenclosure showing the wash chamber and a dishwasher rack in one positionof adjustment in accordance with the operation of an embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The presently preferredembodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawing wherein FIG. 1shows a front loading dishwashing machine that includes a housing 11having an access door 12 that is hinged at its lower end to pivot on ahorizontal axis (not shown) and opens outwardly from the housing 11.Within the housing 11 is a wash chamber 13 partially defined by the door12 and oppositely disposed internal chamber walls 14. The door 12 swingsoutwardly and downwardly away from an access opening 15, and racks 16and 17 are disposed in a vertically spaced apart relation within thewash chamber 13 and are adapted to be slidably withdrawn outwardlythrough the access opening 15 whereby each rack may be loaded orunloaded and thereafter retracted back to the operative position asshown in FIG. I.

Each rack 16 and 17 has a basket-like open framework configuration. Theupper rack 17 includes an irregular bottom 18 and oppositely disposedgenerally parallel and upwardly extending sides 19. The rack 17 hasfront and back ends 20 extending upwardly from the bottom 18 andinterconnecting the ends of the sides 19. Each rack 16 and 17 ispreferably constructed in the typical manner, utilizing spaced apartparallel wire rod members that are welded at the points of intersection.The racks are preferably coated with a material such a polyvinylchloride for improved appearance and durability within the wash chamberenvironment.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, a connecting means is provided along aside 19 of the rack 17 which, in combination with similar structure atthe other side of the rack, permits the rack to be slid horizontallyoutwardly from the wash chamber 13 to a loading position wherein therack 17 is cantilevered over the open door 12. After loading, the rack17 may be retracted inwardly to its operative position within the washchamber 13. The connecting means between the rack side and the chamberwall 14 is adapted to permit the rack side to be manually verticallyadjusted within predetermined limits. The structure of all components ofthe connecting means may be duplicated at each side of the rack 17 by amirror image reversal of parts where it is desired to have each side ofthe rack independently vertically adjustable.

The connecting means between the rack side 19 and the chamber wall 14preferably includes two sets 24 and 25 of vertically spaced apartrollers. The roller sets are horizontally spaced apart and each rolleris journailed to rotate on a stud projecting laterally from the chamberwall 14. An elongated rigid slide bar or channel 27, disposedsubstantially horizontally and parallel to the wall 14, is carriedbetween the upper and lower rollers of the sets 24 and 25. The slide bar27 has a C- shape in cross section and each roller in the sets 24 and 25has a circumferential groove conforming to the outer configuration ofthe slide bar 27. The slide bar 27 is adapted to slide horizontally inthe roller sets 24 and 25 whereby it can be slid to extend outwardlythrough the access opening 15 in the disposition shown in FIG. 2. Theslide bar 27 is configured to form an elongated internal trackway for apair of horizontally spaced apart rollers 28. The rack side 19 of therack 17 is supported on the rollers 28 as will be hereafter described inmore detail, and the rollers 28 are adapted to roll in unison along thetrackway formed by the slide bar 27 when the rack 27 is moved inwardlyand outwardly through the access opening 15. It should be noted thateach end of the slide bar 27 is blocked by a plastic clip or other meanswhereby the rollers 28 are prevented from moving out of their engagementwithin the slide bar trackway.

The connecting means between the rack side 19 and the chamber wall 14also includes support means on the rack side which may be in the form ofa pair of spaced apart base plates 32 (see particularly FIG. 3)permanently fastened to the rack side. A support member or assembly 33is slidably mounted to each plate 32 by means of a bracket 34 that isstaked in a fixed position within an accommodating recess in the baseplate 32. The support assembly 33 includes the roller 28 journalled to aslidable member 35 by means of a stud 36. Between the roller 38 and themember 35 is a sleeve 37 having an annular groove 38. The member 35 isconfigured to have oppositely disposed outwardly extending flangeportions 39 which serve as rails extending into vertically extendingchannels formed by oppositely disposed inwardly turned flange portions42 of the bracket 34. By this arrangement the bracket 34 is adapted toslide vertically on the support assembly 33 whereby the rack side movesupwardly and downwardly relative to the support assembly 33.

As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting means structure attaching the rackside 19 to the chamber wall 14 also includes a movable means in the formof an elongated fiat plate 43 having spaced apart triangular shapedwidened portions 44 therealong. Between the portions 44 the plate has ahorizontally extending intermediate bar portion 45. Toward the forwardend of the rack 17 the plate 43 has an end bar portion 46 that is linkedto a manual control means to be hereafter described.

Each of the plate portions 44 is provided with a horizontally elongatedslot 50 in the upper edge thereof and an elongated inclined slot 51disposed downwardly relative to the slot 50. Extending outwardly fromthe upper portion of the base plate 32 on the rack side 14 is a stud 53provided with a radially outwardly extending head portion 54. The stud53 is fixedly mounted to extend outwardly from the plate 32. The platemember 43 is adapted to slide generally in a horizontal direction eitherforward or backward along the rack side with the slots 50 serving asguide means slidably retaining the plate member 43 to the studs 53. Itwill be noted also with regard to FIG. 3 that each stud 36 extendingoutwardly from its base member 35 extends through the slot 51. Thepurpose of this latter arrangement will be made clear hereafter withreference to the description of the function of the components in theconnecting means between the rack side and the chamber wall whichaccomplish the vertical adjustment of the rack side.

Adjacent the front corner of the rack side 19 is a control means orassembly 60 comprising a rotatably mounted threaded shaft or worm 61having a riding member or nut 62 threadably carried thereon for movementalong the worm s length in response to rotation of the worm. The platemember 43 has its forwardly extended rod portion 46 connected to the nut62 by a screw 63 whereby movement of the nut 62 along the worm 61 istranslated to the plate member 43. FIG. 4 shows that the worm 61 ismounted in a housing 65 having end walls 66-and 67. The end walls 66 and67 have openings in which opposite ends of the worm 61 are journalledfor rotation on a horizontally disposed axis. A knob 68 is affixed tothe outer end of the worm 61 whereby the worm can be caused to rotate ineither direction by manipulation of the knob.

The housing 65 is provided with a top cover plate 69. The cover plate 69is provided with a narrow slot 70 therethrough which is elongated in adirection whereby it extends parallel with the axis of the worm 61. Thenut 62 is provided with an upwardly projecting tooth portion 71 thatfollows a linear path directly beneath the slot 70 as the nut 62 movesalong the length of the worm 61. The upper surface of the tooth 71 maybe viewed by looking downwardly through the slot 70 and serves as anindicator to inform the operator of the current vertical disposition ofthe rack side relative to the lowermost and uppermost adjustmentpositions obtainable by manipulation of the knob 68 of the control means60. FIG. 4 shows that suitable indicia may be provided on the uppersurface of the cover plate 69. For example, an intermediate mark 73 maybe provided on the cover plate 69 to indicate that the rack side is atits normal intermediate or halfway position of adjustment when the tooth71 is aligned with the mark 73.

In explaining the operation of the connecting means between the rackside and the chamber wall as heretofore described to obtain a change inthe level of the to rotate whereby the nut 62 moves forwardly on theworm 61 toward the knob 68. This movement of the nut 62 is translated tothe plate member 43 whereby the plate member moves in a generallyhorizontal direction toward the front end of the rack. The movement ofthe plate member 43 causes the inclined slot 51 to correspondingly movewhereby a long edge or plate surface portion 74 defining the upper longside of the slot 51 bears against the support assembly 33. Since thesupport assembly 33 is prevented from moving vertically because of theengagement of its roller 28 in the slide bar 27, the latter motioncauses the plate member 43 to gradually move upwardly as the inclinedsurface 74 slides against the support member 33. The upward movement ofthe plate member 43 is translated as a force against the stud 53 stakedin the plate 32. The rack side 19, to which the plates 32 are affixed,is thereby caused to move gradually upwardly as the plate member 43 isadvanced forwardly in response to the turning of the knob 68. Downwardadjustment of the rack side is accomplished by counter-rotating the knob68 to obtain a reversal of the action heretofore described.

It should be noted that each of the inclined slots 51 in the triangularshaped portion 44 of plate member 43 are elongated and disposed suchthat a long side thereof is defined by the oppositely facing surfaceportions or straight edges 74. These surface portions 74 defining theslots 51 engage in the annular groove of rack side, it should be firstpointed out that the weight of the rack side on the connecting meansprovides the force to obtain downward movement of the rack side. Whenthe rack side is being adjusted downwardly, the operator, bymanipulating the rotary control knob 68 is, in effect, releasing thebinding action of the nut on the worm 61 by rotating the worm so thatthe weight of the rack causes the rack side to slide downwardly. Whenthe rack side is being adjusted upwardly, manipulation of the knob 68 bythe operator serves to offset the weight of the rack and pull the rackside upwardly in a manner to be now described.

The orientation of the component parts of the connecting means, when therack side 19 is toward its lowermost position is shown in FIG. 2. Thelevel of the rack side can be changed by the operator grasping the knob68 and rotating it such that the worm 61 is caused the sleeve 37 of eachstud 38. Therefore, when the plate member 43 is moved generallyhorizontally in response to manipulation of the control means 60, thecorresponding movement of the slots 51 tend to exert an upward pushagainst the support assemblies 33. Since the plate member 43 cannot bemoved vertically relative to the rack side but only horizontallytherealong due to the plate member 43s guided engagement on the studs53, and because the support assemblies 33 are prevented from verticalmovement because of the retention of the rollers 28 in the slide bar 27,the force of the respective surface portions 74 against the annulargroove 38 of the support assemblies 33 is translated to vertical motionof the rack side 19.

The worm 61 is specially threaded in its engagement with the nut 62whereby the worm and nut serve as a locking means and the worm will nottend to rotate in response to force exerted on the nut by the weight ofthe rack sideeven if the rack is fully loaded with dishes to be washedin the dishwasher. Therefore, the operator, when adjusting the level ofthe rack side by rotating the knob 68, can release the knob 68 when therack side has been raised or lowered to a desired position between theupperrnost and lowermost positions obtainable with the assembly shownand the level of adjustment of the rack side will remain unchanged untilsuch time as the operator again rotates the control knob 68.

FIG. 5 shows that each side of the rack 17 may be provided withconnecting means structure between the rack side and the chamber wall,and that separate manual control means may be provided for each rackside whereby each rack side may be vertically repositioned separatelyand independently of the other rack side. The structure of the manualcontrol means heretofore described enables the operator to ascertain ata glance the relative positioning of each of the rack sides by quickexamination of the upwardly facing cover plate 69 at each rack corner.The provision of the manually rotatable knob 68 on the front end of therack at each corner thereof is highly desirable since it enablesadjustment of each rack side even when the rack is in its retractedposition entirely within the wash chamber of the dishwasher.

It should now be apparent that the present invention provides a new andimproved means for adjusting one or both sides of a rack within adishwasher through use of a relatively simplified structure wherein aplurality of pivotal parts between the rack side and the chamber wallare not required. While the preceding description of the various figuresof the drawing sets forth an illustrative embodiment of the invention,it is intended that the appended claims define the subject matter of theinvention. It is specifically not intended that the invention be limitedto the particular details of construction in the examples presented.Therefore, although the invention has been described with a certaindegree of particularity, it is understood that numerous changes andmodifications in the details of the construction and the combinations orarrangements of parts may be resorted to without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a structure providing a chamber having a front opening and sidewalls, an article holding rack supported on each side wall, a pair ofelongated track members, track support means on said walls forsupporting said track members for horizontal movement between a positionentirely within said chamber to a position partly outside said chamber,rack support means mounted on said rack and in engagement with saidtrack member for allowing horizontal movement of said rack relative tosaid track, an adjustable rack support system comprising:

means for retaining said rack in vertically slidable engagement withsaid rack support means;

a guide member fixedly mounted on said rack;

a plate having a horizontal slot and an inclined cam slot, saidhorizontal slot slidably engaging said guide member and said inclinedcam slot slidably engaging said rack support means;

manually operable control means mounted on the rack operally associatedtherewith for moving said plate horizontally whereby the rack is urgedin a vertical direction by the action of the inclined cam slot on therack support means.

v 2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the manually operablecontrol means includes a riding member arranged to move horizontallyrelative to said rack and said plate being connected to said ridingmember.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2 wherein said manual control meansincludes a horizontally disposed rotatable member and a manual controlknob on one end thereof, said knob being rotatably mounted on said rackto be accessible to the user of said dishwashing machine, said ridingmember being movable axially on said rotatable member during rotation ofsaid manual control knob.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 wherein said inclined cam slot isdisposed to cause vertical upward movement of the rack when said plateis moved horizontally toward said front opening.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said plate includes atleast two horizontally disposed slots and two inclined cam slots.

1. In a structure providing a chamber having a front opening and sidewalls, an article holding rack supported on each side wall, a pair ofelongated track members, track support means on said walls forsupporting said track members for horizontal movement between a positionentirely within said chamber to a position partly outside said chamber,rack support means mounted on said rack and in engagement with saidtrack member for allowing horizontal movement of said rack relative tosaid track, an adjustable rack support system comprising: means forretaining said rack in vertically slidable engagement with said racksupport means; a guide member fixedly mounted on said rack; a platehaving a horizontal slot and an inclined cam slot, said horizontal slotslidably engaging said guide member and said inclined cam slot slidablyengaging said rack support means; manually operable control meansmounted on the rack operally associated thErewith for moving said platehorizontally whereby the rack is urged in a vertical direction by theaction of the inclined cam slot on the rack support means.
 2. Theinvention defined in claim 1 wherein the manually operable control meansincludes a riding member arranged to move horizontally relative to saidrack and said plate being connected to said riding member.
 3. Theinvention as defined in claim 2 wherein said manual control meansincludes a horizontally disposed rotatable member and a manual controlknob on one end thereof, said knob being rotatably mounted on said rackto be accessible to the user of said dishwashing machine, said ridingmember being movable axially on said rotatable member during rotation ofsaid manual control knob.
 4. The invention as defined in claim 3 whereinsaid inclined cam slot is disposed to cause vertical upward movement ofthe rack when said plate is moved horizontally toward said frontopening.
 5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said plateincludes at least two horizontally disposed slots and two inclined camslots.